The Costa Rica Gringo

ICE Costa Rica, Your One Stop Shop

October 20th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

ICE Costa Rica for Electricity

ICE stands for Costa Rican Institute of Electricity. However, ICE is way more than just an electric company. It’s THE electric company and the largest, most widely used telecommunications company in Costa Rica.

When it comes to electricity, you have no choice, ICE will be your electric provider. The service is good and mostly stable. There are some power outages, mostly scheduled ones. It is a good idea to purchase a UPS to protect valuables like computers and tvs since the voltage output varies enough to potentially damage them.

ICE Costa Rica for Internet

As an internet provider I think that ICE is pretty solid. In our home we have both cable internet Read more

Costa Rica Buses or How To Travel in Costa Rica

October 10th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Business, Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Must See or Do, Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips, The Best of Costa Rica | No Comments »

You’re off the plane and in your hotel room wondering, How do I get to where I want to go? Take the bus! Buses in Costa Rica are efficient and reliable. You just have to know where to find them.

It all depends on where you’re going. In San Jose you’ll find bus terminals to anywhere in the country. In Barrio Mexico, you can find Pulmitan Liberia, the bus company that will take you to Liberia and anywhere on the way to Liberia. From Liberia you can take a bus to many of the surrounding beaches like Conchal, Playa Naranjo, Playa Hermosa and Playas del Coco.

If you want to go to Tamarindo, Samara, Nosara or historic towns Read more

Cable Tica- Is it worth the hassle?

September 30th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Everything in Costa Rica is a monopoly. One electrical company, one water company, even when it comes to cable or internet there’s not a lot of options. Cable Tica is one of those few options, but is it the best option?

Customer service is the mark of a successful company. In my opinion, Cable Tica is failing miserably when it comes to customer service. Recently I called their customer service line to ask a simple question, How many channels do you offer in English? I had to call six different numbers before anyone would even attemp to anwers my question. Then the only answer I was given was “All I know is that 6 channels are SAP enabled. Read more

How to get your Costa Rica driver’s license, the Easy way.

September 18th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Relocation, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Any legal paperwork in Costa Rica can be a real pain. Long lines, a million hoops to jump through and just when you think you have every document you could possibly need they ask for another one, original and certified photocopy. Getting your CR driver’s license could be another classic headache, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s what you need to know:

If you have a valid driver’s license from a foreign country then the process is pretty simple. You need

Your valid driver’s license. Original and photocopy
Full physical examination. Just ask your doctor for a physical for your driver’s license and you’ll get exactly what you need.
Passport with a current tourist visa, permanent residency card

Mmmm…Delicious. Everything you need to know about Costa Rica Food.

September 6th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Culture, Costa Rica - Places to Eat, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 2 Comments »

Costa Rica food is everything that is homey, delicious and comforting in this world. It may seem unfamiliar at first but I promise you’ll love it. The basis of any good Costa Rican meal is rice and beans. This may actually be the hardest to get used to. Costa Ricans eat a variation of rice and beans at every single meal, every day.

The staple breakfast is Gallo Pinto. Check out this original recipe here. Gallo Pinto is usually served with eggs, salchichon (sausage), cheese, sour cream, bread or tortillas. Some people, especially older ones, will even have left over steak with their morning gallo pinto. This breakfast is super heavy but totally worth it. People used Read more

Teach English in Costa Rica!

August 15th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

Want a job with plenty of vacation time to spend at the beach? Teach English! And what better place to do it than Costa Rica. There is a huge need in Costa Rica for qualified English teachers. Most jobs in Costa Rica require at least a basic understanding of English, so the need for teachers is constantly climbing. What credentials do you need to teach English? Where can you teach English?

Credentials- Most institutions, whether public or private will require a bachelor’s degree in anything. A TESOL/TEFL certificate is not necessary but a sure fire way to get the job. TESOL certifications are available in most universities, online and even here in Costa Rica. Some private schools will Read more

Costa Rican Bills Get a Face Lift

August 11th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Relocation, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | No Comments »

What is this? This doesn’t look like a ¢ 1 000 colones bill! That’s because it’s the new and improved ¢ 1 000 colones bill. That’s not the only one that’s changed, Costa Rica is introducing a whole set of new bills. The values of the new bills are ¢ 1 000, ¢ 2 000, ¢ 5 000, ¢ 10 000, ¢ 20 000 and ¢ 50, 000.

Why new bills? The new bills, fabricated in Rennes, France, are nearly impossible to counterfeit. Each bill is now a different size and has slightly raised numbers to help the blind identify each bill easily. Bills of 2 000 and above have additional security features like the iridescent thread running Read more

LearnSpanishandSurf.com Costa Rica Experience

August 1st, 2011 | Costa Rica - Adventure, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

This is a Guest post from LearnSpanishandSurf.com

Who wouldn’t fall in love when visiting Costa Rica? The students that have taken part in LearnSpanishandSurf.com’s Spanish immersion programs among the country each have! With not only two, but three Spanish immersion programs available in the beautiful Costa Rica, experience the thrills of one program or entice yourself among them all! LearnSpanishandSurf.com offers their Spanish immersion programs at three locations in Costa Rica – Playa Tamarindo , Playa Jaco and San Jose. Become immerged in the laid back, relaxed lifestyle among each Costa Rica immersion program.

Playa Tamarindo, Costa Rica’s surfing capital is located near the El Estero river which allows surfers of all skill sets to set out and Read more

Brazilian Rodizio in Costa Rica!

July 27th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Family Friendly, Costa Rica - Places to Eat, The Best of Costa Rica | No Comments »

Fogo Brasil is amongst the best culinary experiences in Costa Rica. Located in the heart of San Jose, Fogo Brasil has been attracting visitors from all over the country for six years now. The service is great, the staff is friendly and experienced, the decor is festive and yet elegant. But the one thing that keeps people coming back is the amazing food.

Fogo Brasil is a rodizio style restaurant. Rodizio works like this: First, you pay a flat rate, like a buffet. Then experienced servers will serve a variety of 17 different cuts of meat. Every cut of meat has been roasted to perfection and is brought to your table on a skewer and cut to your preference. Read more

Choose the Cellular Service that’s Right for You!

July 20th, 2011 | Costa Rica - Best Shopping, Costa Rica - News, Costa Rica - Travel Tips | 1 Comment »

Choice? What Choice? It’s just ICE, right? Wrong. As of June 2, 2011 Ice is not the only player in the cell service game. Tuyo is the first private cell service provider in the country, offering new phones and a variety of services. This new company has been widely accepted and well received by consumers and has finally created much needed competition in the market. After Tuyo’s great start, ICE felt the pressure and launched a Father’s Day sale. Purchase ¢ 10, 000 in Kolbi Prepago minutes and get a free phone. In the past there was no need for sales. ICE had no competition. The introduction of Tuyo in May and Movistar and Claro in December has pushed Read more

ICE Costa Rica, Your One Stop Shop

Costa Rica Buses or How To Travel in Costa Rica

Cable Tica- Is it worth the hassle?

How to get your Costa Rica driver’s license, the Easy way.

Mmmm…Delicious. Everything you need to know about Costa Rica Food.

Teach English in Costa Rica!

Costa Rican Bills Get a Face Lift

LearnSpanishandSurf.com Costa Rica Experience

Brazilian Rodizio in Costa Rica!

Choose the Cellular Service that’s Right for You!

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